You guys who never have trouble with commissioners are lucky. I have been ripped off ever time, therefore preventing me from being able to cosplay, because I can't make my own. I am waiting on a costume I ordered and I wonder if I will ever see it. This may not be the thread for it, but any advice, for someone who is about ready to give up on cosplay?

Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.): Axel's Organization XIII coat from Kingdom Hearts II.
Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item: None, never received anything.

Timeline (how long your order took to process): Contract was initiated with payment on September 7/06...it is now May 28/07 and I have nothing. I was supposed to have the coat in hand on April 25/07 (one month before Anime North). So, seven months.

Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments.:

Pros: Her website was professional looking, and communication was good in the beginning. Her past work looked well done as well.

Cons: Well, the biggest thing I can say here would be the fact that I never received the costume. Or any progress shots of it even though I asked on the contract to be shown pictures every two weeks. Then again, I hardly got any e-mails at all. If I wanted to check up on things, I was the one that always had to initiate contact. Last I heard from her was a few months ago, and even then she just kind of stopped replying to e-mails. I'll admit I've just kind of resigned myself to the fact that the coat isn't going to show up. At least I only ended up paying half ($80) to her.

You guys who never have trouble with commissioners are lucky. I have been ripped off ever time, therefore preventing me from being able to cosplay, because I can't make my own. I am waiting on a costume I ordered and I wonder if I will ever see it. This may not be the thread for it, but any advice, for someone who is about ready to give up on cosplay?

Here's some advice:

Don't commission from shady users here unless you are "able" and "willing" to lose money in the process.

Only commission from proven people, hence why this thread is here. Check the results of the reviews in this thread, and base your decision off of that, as for as much as I can see, the reviews here are spot-on.

Like I said, this might sound kind of crude, but you are spending a good bit of money on these costumes, so why go to an untrusted source? I think you are just giving the wrong people opportunities they don't deserve.

Name of Commissioner: Setsuna Kou
Website/C.com gallery: http://www.setsunakou.net/
Character commissioned and series/video game: Summoner Yuna from FFX.
Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item: http://images.cosplay.com/gallery.ph...86&member=7196
Timeline: I ordered it sometime in July 2004, and got it in October or November around the time that I needed it.
Pros: Very friendly, though there were a lot of cons, the costume looked pretty amazing when I got it out of its packaging.
Cons: When I got my Yuna costume, the design on the skirt was made with some kind of paint that had came off while it was being shipped, so my mom and I had to repaint the lines that had come off. Also, the top was somewhat bigger than I had intended it to be, and the costume didn't fit the way I wanted it to ( which is probably why I really don't like it all that much... ) I also had no idea how to put the top on... It was all... funky, so the way I had it on always felt weird and/or looked weird. :/
Final Grade: D+

I commissioned from her again and hopefully when I get my new costume, it'll be better than my Yuna costume...

Don't commission from shady users here unless you are "able" and "willing" to lose money in the process.

Only commission from proven people, hence why this thread is here. Check the results of the reviews in this thread, and base your decision off of that, as for as much as I can see, the reviews here are spot-on.

Like I said, this might sound kind of crude, but you are spending a good bit of money on these costumes, so why go to an untrusted source? I think you are just giving the wrong people opportunities they don't deserve.

The problem is that a lot of commissioners start out good and then go bad, as seen with Rain Miko's reviews. Communication starts out well, they get several glowing reports and then things go downhill.
Also, with some commissioners it's hit-or-miss. Some folks have a great commission, return and have a bad one from ONE commissioner. Other people may go to a great commissioner and end up having a lousy commission.

I agree though, be sure this is money you can afford to lose. Have backup plans as well. If you have specifics, mention them up front - and above all, don't do something you're not comfortable with.

See it's hard though, people give them good reviews, and then when I got to get a commission "OMFG RIP HER OFF!"
I always get bad ones, even after good reviews, and it makes me not want to cosplay sometimes.

Bad reviews should be a sort of... sign for you to improve. They should be your motivation to do whatever you can to improve yourself above what you are doing. Think of it almost as if you were doing school work. Yes. You'll get bad grades sometimes, but that's life. We figure out what we did wrong and improve and stride for that better grade next time around.

Think of it almost as if you were doing school work. Yes. You'll get bad grades sometimes, but that's life. We figure out what we did wrong and improve and stride for that better grade next time around.

Bad example...as in school work, no biggie...

In this business, people lose anywhere from 5 bucks to a couple hundred. I know I wouldn't put my money in a "F student's" hand.

Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.): Yuffie Kisaragi from FFVII: Advent Children (vest, shorts WITHOUT side pouch, socks, armwarmer, headband)

Timeline (how long your order took to process): sent payment on April 23, 2007 and received costume on May 29, 2007

Pros: cheap price, pretty decent cosplay! i like the fabric used for the shorts and headband. all the measurements were correct. the shorts don't make me look fat. LOL fast communication! they were pretty friendly to me even though i was probably the most annoying customer they've ever had. i changed my measurements a few times and they were okay with it. the vest is a bit inaccurate in fabric and details but i still like it!

Cons: now for my pickiness.. the headband only has the white lines on ONE side. the other side is just black. :| i personally asked to not have a side pouch with my shorts (i already have one) but it came with one anyways. and for some reason, my commission came with a tanktop. i never requested for one. but i did requested for socks.. that did not come. also .. my armwarmer mysteriously turned into two leather gloves, like the ones Tifa wore in Advent Children. ><

Comments: this outfit was a custom commission.

Final Grade: B- <- for my lack of socks and armwarmer. i'm trying to see if i can work something out with human_go for the two items. :/